Monthly Archives: November 2013

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In recognition of Adoption Awareness Month, I would like to share my own experiences, in hope of contributing to adoption awareness.

My daughters were both adopted from Cambodia, and my husband and I are both Caucasian Australians, which means we often get quizzical looks from strangers. Apparently adopted families are such a rarity that it takes some people a while to work out how my family fits together.

“Are they your children?” people ask.

“Yes,” I smile.

“Do you have your own children?” people query.

“These are my own children,” I gesture to my daughters.

“Are they sisters?” people ask.

“Yes, but they’re not biologically related,” I say.

In a world of globalisation and widespread media coverage of celebrity adoptions, it amazes me that people can be so ignorant. Perhaps it’s just a case of speaking before they think.

photos thanks to adoptivefamiliescircle.com

“People don’t know you’re my Mummy because we have different skin,” my eldest daughter said to me recently, no doubt a result of hearing too many unsolicited comments from strangers.

“Well, they should know,” I said. “You call me Mummy and we act like a family. It’s not that hard to figure out.”

I don’t know if I answer people’s questions (including my daughter’s) with the best responses; I simply say what comes naturally to me at the moment.